Shell retriever device for shotguns

ABSTRACT

THE INVENTION FEATURES A TRANSPARENT HOUSING ATTACHABLE TO A SHOTGUN OR OTHER WEAPON AT THE SHELL EJECTION SLOT AND OPEN TO THE SLOT TO RECEIVE EMPTY SHELLS AS THEY ARE EXPELLED BY THE GAS BLAST AND BY MECHANICAL ACTION OF GUN DISCHARGE. THE HOUSING OF THE INVENTION IS CONTRIVED TO CATCH SHELLS AND SPIN THEM, LODGING THEM IN THE HOUSING IN COMPACT SIDE BY SIDE RELATION. THUS, A SMALL HOUSING CAN RECEIVE A PLURALITY OF SHELLS NEATLY LAID SIDE BY SIDE WITH THEIR AXES PARALLEL TO THE GUN AXIS.

NOV. 9, 1971 PRUONTQ EI'AL 3,618,458

SHELL RETRIEVER DEVICE FOR SHOTGUNS Filed July 15, 1969 2 Sheets-Shoot 1 l MN FIG.1 FIGZ INVENTOR GEN E M. PRUONTO ATTORNEY NOV. 9, 1971 PRUQNTQ E'I'AL 3,618,458

SHELL RETRIEVER DEVICE FOR SHOTGUNS Filed July 15, 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. 8

INVENTOR GENE M. PRUONTO ATTORNEY United States Patent 3 618 458 SHELL RETRIEVER DE VICE FOR SHOTGUNS Gene M. Pruonto, 124 E. 1st Ave., and Robert G. Cummings, 233 E. Crawford Ava, both of Altoona, Pa.

Filed July 15, 1969, Ser. No. 841,720 Int. Cl. F41c 21/00 US. Cl. 89-33 SF 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention features a transparent housing attachable to a shotgun or other weapon at the shell ejection slot and open to the slot to receive empty shells as they are expelled by the gas blast and by mechanical action of gun discharge. The housing of the invention is contrived to catch shells and spin them, lodging them in the housing in compact side by side relation. Thus, a small housing can receive a plurality of shells neatly laid side by side with their axes parallel to the gun axis.

Basically, the invention contemplates a housing of suitably durable transparent plastic enabling the shooter to see through it so as not to impede quick aiming and which housing has means for securing it snugly to the side of a shotgun. The housing has a base compartment and a cover hinged thereto and secured in closing position. The cover has a side open to the gun ejection slot and has a pin which extends within the housing transversely of the ejection slot when the housing is closed. When a shell is ejected, the strong gas blast commonly hurls it angularly out of the gun and through the ejection slot as the bolt of the gun recedes during the shot. The rearward motion of the shell plus the fact that it is at an angle to the axis of the gun causes the shell to strike the aforesaid pin within the housing and the momentum of the shell causes it to rotate around the pin to be aligned parallel to the gun but reversed 180 degrees in position with respect to its normal firing position when in the gun. The shell thus drops to the bottom of the housing while the bolt is closing forward in readiness for the next shot. The second ejected shell experiences the same reversing movement and is likewise deposited in the housing alongside the first. As a result, two shells of an automatic shotgun are readily received in a compact housing without any danger of jamming in their entry into the housing and the cover then may be flipped open and the shells removed for salvage. However, depending on shell size a housing can receive more than two shells if desired.

A detailed description of the invention now follows in conjunction with the appended drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective showing the housing of the invention attached to the side of a shotgun (shown fragmentarily), the cover of the housing being closed;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing the housing with the cover open and two reversed shells reposing therein;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the open housing showing a perforated bottom and the means to effect clamping of the housing to the gun;

FIG. 4 is a vertical section taken generally on the line 5-5 of FIG. 4, but showing the housing in closed condition;

FIG. 5 is a plan view to illustrate the action and motion of an ejected shell in the course of being retrieved in the housing;

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective showing fragmentarily a mode of attachment of the invention to another type of gun;

Patented Nov. 9, 1971 FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6, but showing the mode of attachment of still another type of gun;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary plan view showing a mode of effecting adjustable positioning of the pin.

Referring now to the drawing, the invention comprises a plastic housing H having a lower compartment 10 to which is hinged at 12 a boxlike housing cover 15. A conventional push button resilient leaf latch device L locks the cover and compartment closed by gripping hook L formed in the side wall of compartment 10. Both of these members are preferably comprised of transparent commercially available plastic suitably rugged and impervious to the heat of the gases which eject shotgun shells. Such material is lightweight, an important factor, and has the convenience of not substantially impeding vision in skeet or trap shooting.

As viewed in FIG. 1 the housing is shown clamped at the side of a gun adjacent the shell ejection slot 20, such slot generally being in the side wall of the gun and in a vertical plane, although having some curvature of the plane where it extends upwardly. This, of course, depends on the type and design of gun and in some guns the slot may be in a completely vertical plane. In any event, the cover 15 has an opening 23 (FIG. 2) at one wall. In fact, that side of the cover is preferably entirely open so that when the housing is in register with the ejection slot, shells coming therethrough will readily pass through the open side of the cover into the housing.

The cover is also provided with a side wall aperture 26 so that the bolt lever 30 of the gun can move forwardly and rearwardly into the housing in the normal course of the gun firing and shell ejection.

The cover has a in 35 which may be of the same plastic material or of metal. The pin 35 extends downwardly into the housing up to approximately the level of or slightly below the top edge 38 of compartment 10 as seen in FIG. 4. Preferably the pin is provided with a kerfed head 42and threaded for a short length so that a nut 45 can be applied thereto whereby the pin can be tightened in various positions in a slot 48 through the top wall of the cover 15. The purpose of the adjustable positioning of the pin is to render the invention readily adaptable for use with various designs of shotguns and various types of shells. As noted in FIGS, 1, 4 and 5, pin 35 is crosswise of opening 23.

It will be noted that the bottom wall (FIG. 3) of the compartment 10 is provided with a plurality of apertures 40 to permit escape of gas when a shell is literally blown into the housing.

The housing is clamped to the gun by a clamping plate 44 carried on a bar by rods 48 which are slidable in tubes 52 integral with the housing corners. Each rod 48 is end bored and threaded so as to take a foreshortened machine screw 55 having an Allen head 58 and an interposed washer 62. The housing is clamped to the gun (FIG. 4) by taking upon the screws to pull rods 48 into respective tubes 52, the washers abutting the ends of respective tubes, and thus clamping'the gun between side wall 65 of compartment 10 and plate 44. Apertures 72 are provided in the opposite side wall 67 for access of a wrench to the screws.

The wall 65 and inner surface of plate 44 may have soft liners 68 (FIG. 4) of rubber, cork, etc., as shown, so as to protect the gun finish.

Referring now to FIG. 5, the action of the invention will be explained. When the gun is fired, the bolt is propelled by the reaction to the rear in the direction of the arrow and ejector pins (not shown) grip the flange 86 of a shell S to pull the shell rearwardly up to the point where the ejector pins release and the pressure blast of the gas plus the ejector pin action expels the shell out through the ejector slot 20.

In being thus blown out, the shell takes an angular course as indicated by the first phantom position I and is caused to strike the pin 35. Due to the momentum of the shell it spins around the pin as illustrated generally by the phantom positions II, III and IV, position IV being parallel to the gun axis or the slot axis. At this point the shell has dropped to the bottom of the lower compartment in reversed position, having been oriented 180 degrees from its position in the gun. The action is, of course, extremely rapid and difficult to observe visually but it will be appreciated that the movement of the shell is not only effected by its angular momentum about pin but also by gravity so that the final position, even if there is rebound against the rear walls of the housing, is at the bottom of the lower compartment. Thus, two shells as seen in FIG. 2 repose in the lower compartment, the gun having been fully fired, and the cover may then be unlatched and opened to remove the shells.

Depending on the relative size of the housing and the gauge of the gun several shells can be thus retrieved. In an actual test as many as five shells have been caught and retained in a housing.

Referring to FIG. 6, another type of holding means is shown for a gun having a trigger housing assembly 90 which is held by a pair of pins (not shown) which pass through bores 91 in the stock. In this instance, to adapt the invention to the gun, the pins are removed and bolts 93 utilized which pass through bores 91 and have threaded ends 94 which go through apertures 96 of a bar 99 integral with lower compartment 10. The bar may be integrally moulded with the compartment front wall or secured in any suitable manner thereto. Wing nuts 102 are then utilized on the ends 94 to secure the housing to the gun. Bolts 93 also secure the trigger assembly.

In FIG. 7, another design of gun utilizes a single pin (not shown) for holding the trigger housing assembly and has a single bore 91' in the stock. A bolt 93' can be utilized for securing the trigger guard and for passing through the aperture 96 of a bar 99 integral with the lower compartment 10. The bar may be riveted, as indicated, to the lower compartment and has curled tongues 108 which engage below the gun stock and breech to lock the housing against rotation in etiher direction when it is held by the single wing nut 102'.

Referring to FIG. 8, a mode of providing both longitudinal and transverse positioning of the pin 35 with respect to a gun is shown wherein a widened slot 112 is used in place of the narrow slot 48 of FIG. 1 which latter slot provides only longitudinal adjustability. By providing a wider slot and washers, such as 115, on the pin on both sides of the slot, it will be apparent that the relatively small diameter pin can be shifted transversely toward or away from a gun ejection slot to provide very critical positioning.

Thus, by effecting two dimensional positioning of pin 35 very precise locations can be established which enables the invention to be adapted for use with a Wide variety of guns and varying shell sizes.

From the foregoing description, the simplicity and practicality of the invention will be appreciated wherein the basic principle of providing a rotational guidance abutment means such as a pin transversely of the expected plane of ejection of a shell is believed to be a new concept in this art. Further, the concept of providing a transparent housing in order to permit quick aiming is likewise thought novel. Additionally, the concept of integrating the shell retriever housing with a gun by securing it thereto with bolts which have a duel function of securing the trigger assembly is a feature believed to be hereto unknown. Other novel features have been described and are claimed.

Persons skilled in the art will understand that the housing need not be made precisely as illustrated herein, nor even of a transparent material. For example, it is obvious that stamped sheet metal could be utilized, or even a light weight casting. Also, the shells could be retrieved 4 at the bottom when the housing is filled by simply having a bottom plate hinged instead of a top cover as shown and described, in such case the members 10 and 15 would be one piece and the bottom wall movable as by sliding or swinging. In the latter instance, no latch would be needed, a bottom plate could be held closed by a torsion spring hinge and pushed down at one edge to permit shells to roll out into the hand.

While for feasibility it is believed preferable to make the entire housing of injection molded plastic of the particularly strong and durable types presently available, a fabricated housing could be used wherein only the sides need be of transparent material so that a shooter could look right through the sides of the housing in aiming.

Other variations and modifications will readily suggest themselves to persons skilled in the art and accordingly we do not seek to be limited to the precise illustration herein given.

Other variations and modifications will readily suggest themselves to persons skilled in the art and accordingly we do not seek to be limited to the precise illustration herein given.

We claim:

1. A shell retrieving device for guns comprising a housing having a side wall and having an opening opposite said wall for registry with a gun shell ejection slot; abutment means disposed in the interior of said housing transversely of and crossing said opening and spaced from said wall so as to be struck by shells being ejected from said gun when said housing opening is in registry with said slot wherein ejected shells moving outwardly from the slot with initial impetus strike said abutment means at one side thereof and eifect rotary movement around said abutment means and guided thereby to be deposited in said housing in a predetermined oriented position at another side of said abutment means.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1, said housing comprising a cover member and said abutment means comprising a pin secured thereto and extending downwardly into said housing so as to be transverse of the axis of a gun to which said housing is attached.

3. A shell retrieving device as set forth in claim 1, said housing being comprised of transparent plastic to permit visibility therethrough in aiming a gun to which said housing is attached.

4. A shell retrieving device as set forth in claim 1, said housing being provided with ports for gas egress.

5. A shell retrieving device for a side ejecting gun, comprising a housing means having side walls and an opening for receiving spent shells and means for securing said housing means to a gun in a position to receive spent shells through said opening as they are ejected; and abutment means having support means so as to be disposed crosswise of said opening and predeterminedly transversely spaced therefrom and from said side walls and from the ends thereof so as to be struck by the sides of shells as they are ejected through said opening to rotate said shells to a predetermined orientation in said housing means.

6. A shell retrieving device comprising a housing having a shell receiving compartment; said housing having a longitudinal opening for registry with the shell ejection slot of a gun; said housing having a transverse opening to permit movement of the gun bolt lever into and out of said housing during firing of said gun; and means for securing said housing to the side of a gun with said first mentioned opening in registry with the shell ejection slot of said gun; said housing comprising a cover movably secured thereto; said openings being eifected in said cover.

7. A shell retrieving device comprising a housing having a shell receiving compartment; said housing having a longitudinal opening for registry with the shell ejection slot of a gun; said housing having a transverse opening to permit movement of the gun bolt lever into and out of said housing during firing of said gun; and means for securing said housing to the side of a gun with said first mentioned opening in registry with the shell ejection slot of said gun; a pin carried by said housing transversely of the expected plane of ejection of a shell, said ejected shell to abut said pin to be rotatively oriented in said compartment to a position reversed from the firing position prior to ejection.

8. A shell retrieving device comprising a housing having a shell receiving compartment; said housing having a longitudinal opening for registry with the shell ejection slot of a gun; said housing having a transverse opening to permit movement of the gun bolt lever into and out of said housing during firing of said gun; and means for securing said housing to the side of a gun with said first mentioned opening in registry with the shell ejection slot of said gun, said securing means for securing said housing to a gun comprising a bar carried by said housing, in combination with a gun having a trigger assembly wherein said bar is disposed against the side of said gun, and fastening means passing from said bar into said gun and engaging said trigger assembly and operative for the dual purpose of securing said housing and said trigger assembly to said gun.

9. A shell retrieving device comprising a housing having a shell receiving compartment; said housing having a longitudinal opening for registry with the shell ejection slot of a gun; said housing having a transverse opening to permit movement of the gun bolt lever into and out of said housing during firing of said gun; and means for securing said housing to the side of a gun with said first mentioned opening in registry with the shell ejection slot of said gun, said securing means for securing said housing to a gun comprising a clamping plate, and rod means slidably carried by said housing and carrying said plate and being fixed thereto, whereby a gun can be clamped between said housing and said plate, and screw means within said housing for effecting movement of said rod means to achieve a clamping grip on a gun, and means providing access to the interior of said housing to adjust said screw means.

References Cited UNITED STATES lPATENTS 1,337,327 4/1920 Rockwell 8933.4 UX

2,149,522 3/1939 Haberlin 89-334 UX 3,156,991 11/1964 Adams 8933.4 X

FOREIGN PATENTS 89,957 4/1896 Germany 89-33.4

BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner S. C. BENTLEY, Assistant Examiner 

